tushanshu_logs | No Dawn, No Day (OTA)

Entry tags:

No Dawn, No Day (OTA)

Characters:Valdis and You!
Date:17th onwards
Location: Throughout Keeliai
Situation: It's time to do some recon
Warnings/Rating: None yet.

Valdis had slipped out of the hotel just after twilight, her black fur blending with the rising shadows, hiding her from view should she desire to be unseen. Everything had been frustrating since their awaking, she was tired of the emotions that had plagued her since the Dreaming, and soon it would be time to reclaim the respect she had once held, time to remind the Kedan that she was still here. For now she kept to the shadows, merely watching the Kedan as they finished up their business. The streets began to empty as shopkeepers closed up shop and before long, only the gangs and Snakes, and perhaps a few stragglers, remained though their scents were distant.
It was then that she left the shadows behind in favor of roaming the streets, taking in the new scents and sounds, occasionally using her sight to observe the movements of the few Kedan that were still out and about. At the moment, she was only interesting in observing and learning about the changes to Keeliai. Occasionally she would sneak close enough to an open window and listen to the sound of the voices within. She couldn't actually speak the local language, but the tone of voice could tell quite a bit about the state of the person speaking. In addition, she would observe the body language of the people as they interacted. Getting a feel for the emotional state of the turtle when foreigners were not around might be helpful. The kedan had not been openly aggressive towards the foreigners, at least, as far as she knew. But there was definitely hostility. She continued to roam, wondering if she might run into any of the other foreigners and not particularly caring if the few Kedan wandering the streets saw her. Word would soon spread that she was around and she relished the potential of the situation.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I never doubted he would," Wan murmured. "That's why I asked him to find it."

He started petting the back of her neck in long, slow strokes. Relaxed and content with the moment, he felt safe to share, "I was home. And I forgot. I didn't remember it until after I woke up here. It all came back fast, but I still forgot. If you go home, you'll forget, too. That's not fair but I don't know how to change it. Until I know I'll remember, I don't want to go back again."

If she had been a cat, she would have been purring, but she merely tucked her chin tighter against his back. She had known that he would forget, and in a way, she was pleased. After all, if he was focused on those he had left behind, then he wouldn't have been able to commit himself fully to his cause.

I cannot lose what I have gained, she replied, I have no reason to return to my world, there is nothing for me there and I would never return willingly. She sighed, I don't want to lose the light you helped me find. I don't want to return to the monster I used to be.

"If it's within my power, I will do everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen," he affirmed, his arms tightening momentary. He gave a heavy sigh and leaned into her, shutting his eyes. "Would it be alright if I just held you for a while? There's a lot I want to say, but mostly I just want to hug you and know you're alive and well."

Wan laughed lightly, "It's surprisingly hard to focus when that's all you really want to do. It's a bit of a first for me."

For the first time since waking from the Dreaming, Valdis felt safe. Her meeting with Tu Yunxu earlier that day had been exhausting, the game was always dangerous and even Dante being around wasn't nearly as comforting as knowing that Wan was here. Wan knew some of her darkest secrets and still hadn't rejected her. She had no fear that he ever would, the same could not be said for others.

Yes, She replied, closing her eyes and letting all the worries fall away. Her best friend was back and that was all that mattered for now. I'm glad that you are here.

With her permission, Wan ended up holding her for close to an hour. His eye shut and his arms moving every now and then as he pet her fur and just let himself feel the power in the muscles of her shoulders. His head didn't leave the spot he'd tucked it into. He needed the peace her presence brought to him right then and there. She was not just someone familiar. She was someone he'd literally allowed into his soul. Valdis being there gave him a sense of being 'home'. Something he hadn't felt for years back in his world and he wasn't sure he would again in his lifetime.

"Thank you," he finally murmured as he pulled away to stand up. Though one hand remained buried in the fur of her neck. "Would you like to come inside? The downstairs isn't boarded up anymore. The Kedan seemed to have taken care of that at some point in the last year..."

Wan sighed, looking up at the house before musing softly, "A year for you... and eight for me..."

Valdis let him hold her, taking comfort in his presence and the fact that he still cared. The war he had been fighting didn't seem to have destroyed his soul the way war so often did. He still felt warm and light, worn, yes, but not without hope. When Wan finally pulled away, she almost stepped forward, afraid that he might disappear again, but his grip on her fur reassured her that he was going nowhere.

Eight years?

So much time had passed for him, no wonder he seemed tired.

"Yes," he nodded, as he moved toward the door, going just slow enough that he didn't have to break contact with her. He wasn't exactly ready to let go, either. "I told you of Vaatu. When I went back, I defeated him and then imprisoned him. And then, to make sure no other human made the same mistake I did, I closed the spirit portals. I asked all the spirits to return first and most of them did so. But once the spirits were gone, the Lion Turtles believed they no longer needed to protect humanity. So humanity left their backs and started to explore the world. They made settlements, they started nations. And they fought. They fought so much. They couldn't agree with each other and there have been so many petty wars."

There was sorrow in his voice. The weight that wore him down were those battles.

"I've done everything I can to stop the fighting, to get them to talk to each other. I'm still trying. And I know it will get better, but... It's going to take another ten thousand years. I won't live to see it in my lifetime."

Valdis didn't particularly feel like seeing Zuko, not after what had happened in the dreaming, not after he had left without a word. She knew that what she had done had worked, but it had been a risk and she hadn't stuck around for the aftermath of her fake attack on his uncle. But she had to be there for Wan and so she moved with the slight pressure.

I'm sorry, Wan. She replied, shortening her stride to stay with him. I wish that I could reassure you in some way, but I have no comfort for you. No words to take away your pain.

Wan's eyes moved to her and he smiled again, "Don't worry about it. I know it will happen. That's enough. It doesn't mean I'll stop, but it's enough. It gives me hope."

He led her inside and through the absolutely empty bottom floor. The kedan really had ransacked the place, even if they hadn't torn it down. The courtyard was doing better, even if it was overgrown. And, of course, the stairs up to Zuko's old room were still blackened from the attack she had helped stop.

It was at the stairs that Wan hesitated. Valdis was far too big in her current state for them to walk side by side as they took them upward. He would have to let her go if he wanted to go up. A little stumped by this dilemma - and refusing to lose contact with her at the moment - he instead turned and sat down on the second step up.

"I guess this is as far as we go right now," he said wryly. "If Zuko needs me he can find me here."

She walked next to him, ducking through the door and taking in the damage. It was still livable, so she was surprised that the Kedan had left it abandoned. When he sat on the stairs, seemingly at a loss, Valdis nudged him gently with her head.

If you need us both, she said softly, still uncertain about where she stood with the fire bender, then I can shift.

Wan's face lit up. He hadn't thought to ask that of her, and while he didn't need Zuko, he wanted to be near him just as much as he wanted to be near Valdis.

His only real concern though... "Do I have to let go for you to shift? Would it hurt if I kept my hand on your head?"

It would be best if you let go, She replied, knowing that he was as hesitant as she had been earlier. She understood it, but she always imagined the shift to be grotesque and she didn't really want him to witness it at all. But he felt so fragile at the moment, so delicate that he might break. So she would give extra energy to the change to make it go faster. It will only take a moment, I promise.

He was very reluctant and it showed in how slowly he pulled his hand away before finally settling it in his lap. He took a deep breath and had to curl his fingers into the cloth of his shirt so he didn't just reach back out to brush over her ears the way he was tempted to. With that done, he nodded, "Okay. Ready."

The moment he released her, she called for the energy to shift. Her fur began to recede into pale skin, her bones and muscles shifted and shrank down as she transformed. The change seemed smoother than normal, lighter and less stressful. A few moments later, she looked up at Wan through her human eyes, half concerned by what he might think of the shift and half concerned by the fact that she had neglected to bring any clothes. Hopefully Zuko or Wan would have something extra.

Wan wasn't at all concerned by it. He was fascinated by it. He was leaning forward when she looked up, absolutely stunned at the transformation. Somehow she had shrunk down and gotten all of herself into that smaller human body. His eyes traced over her as they had when she'd first revealed that she was the wolf he'd met, getting stuck on the details the same as before. There was no care that she was nude or that he was seeing more of the female human body right then and there than he had ever seen back home.

"Wow," he murmured when he found his voice and had the sense to stand up. The hand that had wanted to much to smooth down her ears reached out to touch her hair and smiled, simply enchanted by what he'd seen. "That was amazing. You're really amazing."

She knew the moment she met his eyes that, as always, Wan would accept her for who she was. That security meant more to her than anything, more so because she knew that, even as he looked her over, it was only in pure amazement.

She smiled softly,"Thank you, but..." Despite how safe she felt, it really would be awkward for anyone to walk in on them right now. "Do you or Zuko have anything I might cover up with?"

Wan's eyes widened and he looked completely mortified. The thought of clothes for her hadn't even crossed his mind. He was an idiot.

He hurriedly loosened his outer belt so he could pull his over-shirt off and hand it to her. Next came his scarf which he tucked around her waist and used to tie the shirt closed for her. The shirt ended up being a little longer on her than it was on him, so it actually fell comfortably to just above her knees.

"Sorry, sorry," he murmured as he frantically went about trying to make sure she was warm. "Do you need pants? I can give you my pants. Are you cold?"

Valdis gratefully took the shirt and scarf, and accepted his aid in tying the scarf around her waste, still smiling as he continued to panic.

"Wan," She said, laughing, her eyes sparkling, "It's ok, I don't need your pants and no I'm not cold." She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed like this, it felt so...nice.

It took him a moment to calm down - his hands already on his pants and getting ready to drop them when she said 'no'. Instead, he took the time to re-tie his layered belts and make sure they were secure. He had a second shirt on that didn't cover as much as the shirt he gave her. It actually exposed most of his chest, but served to hold the brown sleeves he was wearing in place.

Wan looked sheepishly away and reached back out to her, to take her hand in his, "Then we should go upstairs. Since everything is fine."

If there was one thing she loved about her and Wan, it was that their relationship was based, not in looks, money or theater, but upon the purest connections between people, not as lovers, but as friends.

There was so much in Keeliai that wasn't fine, so many things that needed to be done. But at the moment, she would let that all fall away and not even her hesitation at seeing Zuko was enough to stop her from taking Wan's hand.

"Yes," She replied, remembering how once he had flinched away from her touch. "Everything is going to be fine."

"

"We don't have anything to make tea with right now," he said, not at all disappointed as to why. "But the water is still running in the bathroom so we can still use the sink for something to drink. But the place is pretty empty right now. It's not that safe either, but... it's familiar. And its standing."

He led her upstairs to the very, very empty bedroom. There was a small pile of random fabrics where the bed used to be that they'd scavenged to make sleeping more comfortable which Mula was currently occupying. But it really was just a bare room.

"Home sweet home. Sort of."

It was indeed standing, unlike her own former home. Whether hers had been destroyed in the invasion or out of spite, she didn't know, but it didn't matter now.

"I'm surprised that there wasn't a family living here." She said, looking around. The place had been stripped, anything of value taken, but otherwise seemed undamaged.

"You said that Zuko was here?"

Wan nodded and headed over to sit down next to Mula, "Yeah. He is. He's probably in the bathroom. Or he might have made his way downstairs to the kitchen while we were outside. But he's around. And I'm actually not too surprised it's empty. The kedan are pretty scared of Zuko because of all the fire he was throwing around right before we left. They're still scared of him. Those that remember him, anyway. They didn't want to release whatever evil they thought was attached to this place because of him."

He wasn't happy with that, but it did mean they'd had a place that was familiar to go back to. Even if it had been stripped of most valuables.

"Actually, we checked my old house first on the way up and it was occupied. It was in the Wood Sector. Was a lot more comfortable. But this was the empty one. I'd rather find someplace else, though. Out of the way, but still connected to the city."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

No Dawn, No Day (OTA)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject